Men sentenced for beating officer

Port Jervis — Judge Jeffrey G. Berry described the three men who beat an off-duty New York City cop as "thugs" during their sentencing yesterday in Orange County Court.

Ashley Kelly

Port Jervis — Judge Jeffrey G. Berry described the three men who beat an off-duty New York City cop as "thugs" during their sentencing yesterday in Orange County Court.

Berry sentenced James Conklin and Michael Gurliacci to one year each in the county jail for their convictions on misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal mischief.

Shawn Kurtz was sentenced to nine months in county jail for his convictions on the same charges.

The three men beat Adrean King last year around the corner from his Port Jervis home after they tore off parts of his fence. King, a patrol officer in the New York City Police Department's 44th Precinct, suffered an injury to his right knee during the Nov. 12 incident.

"You took it upon yourselves to act as thugs, and it resulted in this absolutely unnecessary conclusion," Berry said during the sentencing.

King described the sentencing as "small-town justice." He was more pleased with the restraining order that expires in 2012 than the jail time, he said.

"Being hurt is not enough," King said. "You have to lose a limb or die to get any justice."

Each man apologized for his actions during the sentencing.

"My actions that morning were unnecessary and wrong," Gurliacci said.

Conklin and Gurliacci have been in jail since the November beating. Most of their time has been served, but parole violations are keeping them in county jail for now, according to Assistant District Attorney Matthew Witherow. Kurtz, who has been out on bail since January, returned to jail yesterday to complete his sentence.

Matthew Howell, the fourth man involved in the incident, pleaded guilty two months ago to a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, in exchange for his cooperation with prosecutors against the other three. Howell was recently sentenced to 11 months in county jail, Witherow said.

Conklin's mother, Caryl Conklin, said she is relieved the incident is behind all the families involved.

"I didn't raise my son to be a thug, and he's not one," she said in a courthouse hallway. "He just happened to make the wrong decision."